A Different Sort Of Magic
by Mirsa
Summary: Dr. Strange, movie version. Sometimes you meet the most unique people in the most mundane places.
1. Chapter 1

Miro grunted as his back crashed through the glass of a double window in the building they'd been fighting next to. Tossing his long brown hair, the man blinked his eyes rapidly, trying to shake the hit from his mind and body, preparing to get back in the fight with the shadow monster. But before he could jump back out the window, a gasp drew Miro's attention and he glanced over his shoulder at a door of an apartment. Apparently, he'd landed in the living room, and someone – probably an imaginative child – had heard the commotion and come to investigate. What met his sight was not the curiously frightened gaze of a child but the wide-eyed astonishment of a young woman. She was dressed in a simple long shirt and loose trousers, wrapped with a long cloth sash with tasseled end, and he could see the long braid of hair swinging behind her head. The hall light blazed yellow behind her, igniting a fierce green-gold color in her eyes, making it seem as if they were glowing. The sight held Miro's attention longer than he thought possible before she blinked, breaking the spell. He turned his gaze away, spotted his friends still battling the massive creature, and leaped out the window.

Ginny stood frozen for a few seconds after the stranger had vanished from the window ledge. The sounds of some kind of battle drew her to the ruined opening, and she poked her head out, sharp eyes scanning up and down the street before she spotted the ghostly forms of people fighting some kind of huge beast. Ginny watched, transfixed, wondering how no one was seeing this but her, until the group had vanished around the corner at the far end of the street. Slowly she pulled herself back inside, straightening up and staring absently about the room.

_If that's not the randomest thing … but I wonder who he was …_


	2. Chapter 2

Twilight was falling, the growing gloom making the inside of the massive library look shadowy and mysterious, but it made no difference to the girl sitting in a pillowed corner, far from the librarian's desk and rotunda. It had been her habit since childhood to remain in the library long after hours, and due to her work in the large building, the staff knew her to be a responsible girl so they left a spare key hidden for whenever she decided to leave. Even in the quickening dark, she had no trouble reading the words on the page. The glow Miro had seen in her eyes that night had not been a trick of the light, but some part of her, deep inside, telling her body what to do to allow her to see. She had realized it afterwards, and the curiosity was too much to bear. Thus, here Ginny was, curled up in an oddish position with a book propped on her leg, her eyes once again glowing.

A keening roar, shattering the glass in the library's windows and bringing Ginny out of her induced alter-reality, fractured the night's tranquility. She turned her head, craning her neck as she tried to see what was going on. Almost nothing could make her move until she was ready – at least, almost nothing other than the strange raptor-like creatures that suddenly darted out of the shadows, fangs bared, claws raised and eyes glowing with an evil Ginny had never seen in any being. They did not care who their prey was, and she was the closest thing. Frozen in terror, Ginny could only watch as the things crouched, advancing menacingly. She closed her eyes tight to block out what she was sure would be the worst last thing to see before you die.

Even at night, she somehow felt the shadow of a person fall across her, almost simultaneous with another keening roar. Ginny cringed, throwing her hands over her ears in an attempt to block out the horrific sound, but beneath the cry, she heard someone inhale sharply, as if surprised. Hearing the call fade away, Ginny dared to drop her hands and open one eye. To her utter shock and surprise, standing over her, wearing an expression identical to her's - was the man she'd seen in the apartment! But it had been weeks and she'd never _ever_ expected to see him again! As the first shock wore off, others began setting in; she realized his body was glowing red … _no, not red! Glowing with red tattoos!_ and that a strange golden medallion with a red stone hung about his neck on a chain. The world seemed to slow down, if not stop altogether, as they stared at each other – in truth, Miro had never thought he'd see her again either. Hence, the reason he did not sense one of the Raptor creatures preparing to strike.

"Behind you!" her cry echoed in the now-pitch black building, but it was too late for him to defend himself. The Raptor had leapt with a cry and was bearing down on him as he spun to face it. The only thing left for him to do was to try to protect his body as much as possible and pray he would make it out alive. But the prayer was answered long before it had been uttered, and it was answered in a most startling way. A blast of white-gold energy surged around Miro's body, yet he was unharmed. A kind fate not meant for the Raptor – the energy obliterated the creature into tiny particles. Miro blinked in surprise before turning to see which of his companions had saved him. None of his group did he see, and the only living person within sight was the girl who was now kneeling on the ground, one hand braced against the floor and the other outstretched as if she'd been reaching – or throwing.

Ginny simply could not comprehend that the sudden bolt of energy had actually come from _her_ hand, the one she'd thrown out as if she could save the man from the creature. The force she'd put into the reaching motion had pulled her to her knees, and now Ginny sank back to rest on her heels as she slowly brought her hands up to look at them wonderingly. So caught up in trying to understand what had just happened, she thought she was hearing a memory echo when the man cried out to her, "behind you!" But physical reaction to some words is automatic, and right then her body automatically pivoted on her spine to allow Ginny to see what he meant. A screech shook the walls as a reptilian form appeared through the glass of the huge window, spread claws and teeth aimed directly at her. Reacting on instinct, the girl threw up her hands, screaming as a rain of shattered glass fell around her in tinkling shards.

Miro was far more accustomed to seeing the latent powers of potential recruits suddenly mature to a higher level of use, so he was not as thrown off by the sudden power the girl had shown. Instead, he watched her look at her own hands in wonder, a small smile twitching one corner of his mouth before the movement outside the window caught his attention, and he was forced to repeat the girl's warning back to her. But even as she slipped on the glass as she tried to spin around, her hands stretched in front of her for protection – which in turn released another dazzling display of energy – he knew she wouldn't do as well the second spontaneous time around, and he was right. The Raptor was easily annihilated, but the girl was not so lucky – she was shaking, he could hear her teeth chattering right before she went limp, falling backwards. She would have landed in a bed of glass shards had Miro not slid across the floor to catch her.

Miro sat there on his knees for a moment, the girl in his arms. She didn't weigh very much, but he could tell she was not a child. Her face betrayed more years than upon first glance, and her body had finished maturing some time ago. A few strands of hair had come loose from the ever-present braid, and he gently swiped them away from her face to give him a better view. Her eyes - the amazing glowing eyes that had caught him so completely – were lightly shut, but he could tell she was merely drained of energy. After all, having sudden power surges come out of your hands might have the same affect on you. Miro knew her white-gold energy blasts had destroyed more than the two Raptors, and he could no longer hear the sounds of battle, but now he was uncertain of what to do. He had certainly found a girl with latent abilities that, if trained and coached properly, she could be taught to control, but he was unsure of what the Ancient One might think if he showed up back at the temple with a strange girl in his arms.

_Bring her with you, Miro. It was not an accident that you, of us all, have found her_ Miro's face was tradmarkedly expressionless as he nodded – more to himself than the mental voice – and gently lifted the girl with him as he stood. A portal appeared between two still-upright bookshelves and he was careful not to jostle her as he made his way into it. The portal slid shut with a slight hiss of air, leaving behind a rather messy library and the vague memory of a girl named Ginny.


	3. Chapter 3

"Miro!" The bright tone of the voice brought smiles to the faces of the returning hunting party, especially the name's owner. He turned his head, spying the figure racing down the steps towards him and he separated from the group to greet the girl. Her outfit reminded one of the stories of geniis and djinns from the _One Thousand and One Arabian Nights_ – pointed slippers, poufy harem pants with a long cloth sash, a wrapped tube top partially hidden by a decorative vest and her hair held up in a high braided ponytail with gauzy ribbon streamers tied to the base. All the fabrics of her costume were bright, shiny, or sparkly, a composition that made her seem like a ball of energy. In Miro's opinion, her clothes matched her personality – and more so her gifts – perfectly. But he had time to do little more than let a small, quiet grin – one reserved for her and her alone – slide onto his mouth before she was launching herself at him and he had to move fast to catch her and keep them both on their feet as he spun her around.

"What were they this time? They must not have been very tough – you didn't even have to power up. Oh, why couldn't I go with you? I hate staying here all the time! I barely get to use my powers even! And besides, it's so much more exciting going with you guys when there's things need doing in the world!" her natural ability to talk over a hundred miles a minute, and never once break a sweat, still astounded him sometimes but it never failed to make him laugh. The energetic tirade suddenly cut off when the girl felt a chuckle rumbling in Miro's chest as he hugged her tightly before setting her back on her own feet. She wasn't very tall, only reaching perhaps to his collarbone, but it was enough for her to stand there quietly, her hands resting on his chest as the girl looked up into Miro's face, and he gazed back down into her eyes, now glowing as they had all that time ago when he'd first seen her.

"I missed you, and I was worried." He knew the others had moved off and they were alone, for her voice had softened and lowered, and her face had lost its shine – a shine, he had learned, she put on for the others she loved so dearly. The girl had dropped her head, her hands still resting on his chest. Gently placing his hand beneath her chin, Miro brought her head back up, forcing her to look into his eyes with hers, no longer glowing and starting to mist with strongly held-back tears.

"I'm sorry I made you worry. I won't do it again, I promise." Hearing the familiar apology managed to bring a half-smile back to her face, even though the motion caused the tears in her eyes to spill over onto her cheeks. Miro used his free hand to wipe the offending moisture away on one side of her face, and tilted her head to kiss the corner of her other eye, stopping the flow of tears. Even when her eyes were dry, Miro did not take his lips from her skin, and she tilted her head into his touch. He removed them once to whisper into her ear.

"I missed you too, Djinni."


	4. Chapter 4

Miro's hair, now damp, shone dully in the lamplight as he came out of the bath, clad in soft sleep pants and a towel hung around his neck. He watched Djinni, curled up on the bed and intently reading something off the screen of the small laptop that was one of her tools of the trade. She sat in the middle of the bed, in one of the oddest positions, but he knew it was comfortable for her. He stood watching her a few minutes, drinking in the sight of her, once more at ease and relaxed. It was this thought that made him realize suddenly that she was so intent on the machine in front of her that she had not noticed the return of his presence to the room, and a dark gleam came into the man's eyes. Noiselessly tossing the towel away, Miro began to stalk towards her. She only noticed him when his hand appeared in her direct line of vision, blocking the laptop screen as he pushed it closed from behind. A sound of protest rose in her throat, and she lifted her head from the machine to glare good-naturedly at the intruder, but the light in Miro's eyes caught Djinni off-guard and the protest died in her throat.

She did not resist as he gently took the computer from her hands, setting it blindly somewhere away from them; exactly where, neither really knew. When he returned his full attention to Djinni, she had uncurled her body and was now sitting straight up, facing him head-on. He slid one knee onto the bed, effectively blocking her escape to that side as he brought his face up close to hers. Djinni knew Miro, but at times like this, he was still intimidating and unconsciously she slowly began to back away from him. Not willing to let her escape, Miro followed, bringing the one knee up to prop his elbow on, and the other leg up onto the bed to trap her on the other side. Her smallness compared to him was amusing, and a shadow grin flittered across his mouth. Djinni's back pressed against the wall, her chin tucked in but her eyes looking up at him; the look was unreadable, even for Miro.

Reaching out a hand, Miro rubbed his thumb over the smooth skin of her cheek, and smiled only when Djinni's eyes closed at the touch. He trailed his fingers down her neck, brushing the light fabric of her decorative vest out of his way. She did not fight as he pushed the garment down behind her back, and he saw her body lean forward slightly and knew she was taking the clothing off both arms, freeing them. Resting both palms on her shoulders, he lightly ran his hands down her arms until he could twine their fingers together before bringing them back up to press her arms against the stone wall over her head. He was still in a half-kneel, and as he pulled her up Djinni suddenly brought her knees under herself, putting her head on the same level as Miro's. They were now eye-to-eye, their faces only centimeters apart; Miro could feel her cool breath on his skin.

Miro's neck darted out, his mouth capturing hers in a passionate kiss. She leaned into him, wanting more but he pressed her back against the wall and in a fleeting thought , she was glad she had already taken her braid down for the night, leaving only the ponytail. Miro still had her arms over her head, now pinning both her wrists together so he could cup her face with his free hand. She pressed her body to his, trying to communicate the depths of the emotions she'd only put into words earlier. She did not miss him – she _needed_ him; she was not worried – she _feared_ for his _life_.

At last, Miro released her arms only to grip her around the waist, pulling her roughly to him as he bore down on her ever-ready mouth. Djinni twined her arms about his neck, willing him to never leave her, never let her go again. She hardly noticed when she felt the sheets and mattress press against her back, felt the weight of the man settling around her like a protective cocoon as he used one arm to prop himself up and keep from smothering her. Djinni's kiss suddenly became desperate and she sought his mouth with all the desire of a person in the desert searching for water. The emotions she had worked long to contain and hide suddenly appeared, and tears once more began to spill unbidden down her cheeks. If Miro sensed her crying, he made no move to comfort her until her breath hitched on a sob and she had to break the kiss for want of air. She turned her face away, closing her eyes to keep from having to look him in the eye.

"Djinni." She tried to swallow the sobs as they wracked her body. "Djinni, look at me." Still she did not open her eyes.

"Ginny." The name whispered in her ear, with inflections so minisculely different only she would know the difference, finally convinced her to turn her head back and open her eyes. Miro stared down at her, her smile on his lips.

"I'm sorry I make you worry so. But I would rather have you worry yourself sick –and remain safely here – than to go on a mission and make _me_ worry instead."

The sobs finally subsided, but even Djinni could not stop the small hiccups that inevitably follow such episodes. She could feel Miro's chest rumbling with suppressed chuckles, and she blushed as she unwound her arms from his neck, pressing her hand against her mouth to quiet the sound. As she took measured breaths to counteract the hiccups, Djinni's eyes wandered from Miro's, studying his features as she had so many times before. She could taste him, a dark, rich musk that was like exotic wine to her senses. A few strands of his hair had fallen over his shoulder, brushing lightly against her nose and she began playing with the pieces, winding them about her fingers absently. Miro watched her, but as much as she looked content and at peace, he knew there was an underlying current he had not tapped, the well of her emotional heart.

"Why must I be the one to worry?" her voice was soft, and if he had not been absolutely attuned to her he might not have heard her speak. The question surprised him, and he looked down into her eyes, now focused back on him, wide and appealing. They stared at each other a moment before Miro rolled over onto his back, resting his wrist across his eyes as he tried to think of how to explain it to her.


	5. Chapter 5

It had not always been like this. She used to accompany him on the assigned missions, until the day had come when he had almost lost her. Directly disobeying the Ancient One's orders, he had returned to fight for her, bringing her body back and pleading with the Ancient One to save her. The act had only been accomplished through the giving of a part of his soul into her to revive Djinni's stilled heart. This she knew, for she could actually recall the feeling of her own last breaths slipping out of her, and then Miro calling her back from the chaos oblivion. What she did not know was that, because she held a piece of his soul, he could now feel her as an extension of himself – he knew when she was sad, tired, alone, or afraid. It was this last emotion that he feared the most – she had gone out on one last mission before he had asked her to remain in their temples. That last mission was when he discovered he could feel her, and the fear he felt for her as she fought for her life was crippling. He himself had almost died because of it, because he was more concerned with her than his own life. Knowing he had to choose, Miro picked the lesser of two evils, choosing to keep her safe over letting her fight by his side, as she so desperately wished to do. Since that time, he had feared the day when she would wish to return to the battlefield. Thus, he had feared this day above all others.

The presence of someone warm and comforting on top of him made Miro lift his arm slightly, and he found himself looking into the bright eyes of the girl now lying comfortably with her chin on his chest and her body curled up into his side like a cat. She grinned when she spied his smoldering eyes, shadowed by his hand, and tilted her head to lay it flat on his chest, her hair spilling across his torso and falling down the other side onto the bed. Her slender fingers with their long, delicate nails whispered gently over his skin as she traced random designs around her face. Miro did not move, save for his breathing which made her body rise and fall along with it. As the moments grew into hours of comfortable silence, Djinni's hand movements began to slow as a dreamy look took over her face, her eyes lidded and Miro knew she was exhausted.

As last, he disturbed her with movement, and she looked up from her random invisible patterns as Miro grasped her arms, gently dragging her up off his chest to cuddle her closer. Far shorter than he, she still managed to twine her legs with his as she burrowed into his side, hiding her face in the crook of his neck, her arm resting on his chest with her hand curled up loosely. A sound, almost like a purr, began emanating from her throat, and Miro grinned, trying hard not to chuckle. Apparently Djinni felt the movement for she lifted her head, her dreamy eyes blinking slowly as she looked at him.

"You didn't answer my question, Miro." He turned his head, their noses almost touching.

"When you're not sleep-deprived, I'll answer. But now you need to rest, amore." The dreamy look dissipated slightly as her eyes narrowed.

"Swear to me."

Miro did not reply at first. The bond he shared with Djinni was deeper than a physical relationship – she was made for him, heart, mind, and now soul. When she asked him to swear something to her, he knew he would be bound by his oath. Looking frankly into her eyes, he knew she realized the weight of the thing she asked of him, and he knew she was willing to wait if only he would swear to her.

"I swear it."

Djinni regarded him a moment further before she lightly kissed the tip of his nose and ducked her head to bury it back in his neck. The familiar warmth and smell had soon lulled her, and Miro waited until she was heavily asleep before he shifted a little, getting comfortable before he allowed himself to drift off to sleep, her body melded against his.


End file.
